Design

Econation is an independent source of information about well-being and sustainability.

Our purpose is to help people live richer lives full of well-being at the same time that they are sustaining the planet to ensure the well-being of future generations of children and grand-children.

This purpose is driven by two truths:

People are using more resources than the planet can sustainably provide

Consumption that goes beyond satisfying basic needs does not provide more well-being

The fact that subjective well-being has not increased since the 1950s whilst production (measured by GDP) has more than doubled, shows that the modern economic machine has decoupled from the general well-being of the people. It means that half of our production/consumption is a waste. The question is, why do we keep producing and consuming more if there is no real benefit? And what is the purpose of an economy if it’s not the general well-being of the people?

The modern economic drive for a continually growing system of production and consumption creates problems for both people and planet. The issues are complex but one thing is abundantly clear: the earth is ailing because of human consumption patterns. At the same time, levels of human suffering and dysfunction are increasing, including inequality, poverty, crime, depression, anxiety, lifestyle diseases, addictions and substance abuse. Our childrens’ generation may well be the first in history to have a life expectancy lower than their parents.

Well-being is a complex notion to define. It is highly subjective but the fact is it does not correlate to how much stuff you have, once you have sufficient. Some people who have relatively little can be perfectly happy whilst others are never satisfied no matter how much they have. This being the case, material wealth and consumption is much less important than most people think. You can find out more about what well-being is and how it is best achieved by reading more about well-being here»

Light feet

Sustainability happens when peoples’ demand for resources (ecological footprint) is smaller than the earth can sustainably supply (biocapacity). Learn more about how to increase well-being by reducing your ecological footprint by implementing these sustainable solutions at home»